CHOOSING A DOG

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 149, 27 June 1925, Page 16

CHOOSING A DOG

ADVICE TO WOULD-BE OWNERS.

:■: When choosing a.. dog, consideration mu^t>be paid to where you are going to keep him, writes a breeder in the "Daily Express." If-you live-in a.^town, a big dog is often an encumbranco. He needs a lot of exercise, and, unless you are within'easy distance of a. park or gardens, this is difficult; the sober trots which are all he can have in the streets are -not real exercise to- a creature which ismade to race and bound.

If you send to a reliable kennel you will be certain to receive a healthy dog that has been properly fed and brought up. But that is an expensive way. .A cheaper dog can be bought from a: shop or a dealer. Look: at his eyes.- ■ They should be bright, clear, and intelligent. His nose must be cool arid moist, and the skin loose on his. body, so that it can be rolled about Vgently between the'fin--ger,. and thumb and does hot feel tense or stretched about the ribs.' Lift his feet :an'dvlo6k at his pads. If healthy, they are rounded and spongy with no cracks. The legs.must be hard and well-shaped, .-withouti ,any signs, of swellings. His body, neither tod fat nor too thin, must have-.'nd*Bare patches on i,the coat. If he passes these tests'he. is probably a healthy dog. 'But it jwould be well to glance at his teeth. Puppies, before they are eight months old, may be changing them; but; >after that, age . a missing tooth, especially if it is a canine, may bo a-^serious handicap to a dog in defending himself,, and often makes him timid and shy, so that he appears cowardly. •,. ■ „.' , ..-.'..-■.

Besides these general aspects of health, every breed of dog has its'particular points, for which you would do well to consult' some- authority if you want to make sure of a good dog. It is safer to make inquiries in regard to how tho dog has been fed before taking him home. Drastic changes in diet are apt to upset the digestion, and may bring on small troubles which will be a, puzzle and anxiety .to his'^iew owner. But as a. rule, dogswidapt themselves wonderfully' to any good treatment.